9.
Prevention Strategies
Lobbying and
Community Education
A strategy for changing the systems (legal, medical, law
enforcement, etc.) that undermine women’s safety and batterer
accountability may originate from a simple discussion about a
common problem. For example, in the United States, the movement
to create women's shelters began when small groups of women met
to discuss the need for temporary shelter. These groups not only
organized shelters, but developed strategies for changing the
laws to better meet this need. Women first educated themselves,
then sought community support, and eventually approached lawmakers
about creating legislation. It was crucial that policymakers were
educated about the problem of domestic violence based on the real-life
experiences of women. From the identification of a clear need
for emergency shelter, women's advocates were able ultimately
to achieve the passage of legislation at the state level allocating
funds for shelters. Today, over thirty years later, most shelters
for battered women and their children in the United States receive
a substantial proportion of their funding from state and federal
government sources.
There are many different approaches
to advocacy. Some approaches are grounded in “equality” theory
and seek to ensure that battered women are treated the same way
that victims of stranger violence are treated. Other approaches
recognize that the needs of female victims of domestic violence
are sometimes different from the needs of male victims of stranger
violence.
Lobbying and community education are two possible components
of an advocacy strategy. Both can be used effectively by advocates
to increase state protection of victims of domestic violence and
state efforts to hold batterers accountable.
Lobbying can be an effective way to amend laws and introduce
new laws needed by women seeking protection from abuse and to
ensure that abusers are sanctioned. While community education
does not directly address state obligations with respect to domestic
violence, it is an excellent way of starting to change public
awareness and perceptions of domestic violence. One reason domestic
violence continues is that the community at large has not made
it unacceptable. People say that domestic violence is wrong, but
often look the other way. A public message about violence prevention
is an effective way to change behavior. Grassroots support can
also increase the leverage that can be brought to bear on politicians
and other government officials.
Batterers’
Treatment Groups
The purpose of most criminal justice system interventions
for domestic violence is to hold the perpetrator accountable for
his actions. These interventions, however, are only a temporary
solution to the problem. Even if a perpetrator receives jail time,
his victim may not be any safer when he is released and may be
at greater risk of harm. The most effective protection against
violence is to prevent it from occurring in the first instance.
Several batterers intervention programs have been developed in
the United States and Western Europe. Organizations in countries
in CEE/CIS are also beginning to work with the male perpetrators
of domestic violence in batterer’s treatment groups in an effort
to influence their future behavior.
Like other interventions, a batterers’ treatment group
must be based on a specific theory
of violence to be effective. The model created by the Duluth
Domestic Abuse Intervention Project has been effective in the
United States and has been the basis for several new programs
being implemented in countries in CEE/CIS. The Duluth
model is based on the theory that violence is intentional
and is a system of abusive behaviors that batterer uses to maintain
control over his wife or intimate partner. Other groups have developed
different programs using this same theory of violence. From
Guidelines
for Men Who Batter Programs.
This Duluth model of the treatment group is based on a
few guiding principles. First, the groups focus on the safety
of the victim and children. Second, the groups work to hold the
perpetrator, not the victim, accountable for his abusive behavior
and for stopping the abuse. Third, the groups respect the victim’s
choices and ability to direct her own life. These groups are not
the same as marriage or couples counseling and do not focus on
keeping the couple together. Similarly, they are not substance
abuse counseling. Treatment for alcohol and drug abuse should
be addressed separately.
Benefits to
Group Treatment
Although some batterers may express regret about their
actions, they also received mixed messages from society that may
support their abuse of women. A batterers intervention group provides
a social network of others who may be support nonviolent behavior.
The group format provides men with a variety of models
and resources to learn how to interact differently with their
partners and change their behavior. Taking part in a group treatment
program may also help batterers to decrease their dependence on
their partners, and reduce some of the shame that may come from
discussing their abusive behaviors for them to be more forthcoming
about their actions. Although batterers’ treatment programs often
take place in a group counseling setting, individual therapy may
also be necessary, or helpful, for many of the men.
Procedures
Used in Batterers’ Treatment Groups
Generally, there are three categories of procedures that are
used in batterers’ treatment groups: (a) altering attitudes toward
violence and personal responsibility, (b) planning for safety,
and (c) learning alternative skills for nonviolence. From Jeffrey
Edleson & Richard Tolman, Intervention for Men Who Batter:
An Ecological Approach (1992).
Changing
Attitude
Men will not change their behavior by participating in
the group unless they are willing to change. Men must recognize
and acknowledge their abusive behavior and have a full understanding
of the effect it has on their partners, their relationships, and
themselves. Men must take responsibility for both the physical
violence that they inflict on their partners as well as other
forms of abuse such as sexual violence, psychological abuse, and
economic coercion. Batterers’ treatment group facilitators often
confront the men about their negative or sexist attitudes, support
for abusive behaviors, and denial of abuse. This confrontation
challenges men to take responsibility for the abuse by requiring
them to examine their beliefs and actions.
Raising
Awareness
In a treatment group, batterers must analyze their behaviors
and examine the ways in which they use violence or other abusive
tactics to control women. The batterer learns to monitor his actions
to understand the feelings he has when he becomes violent, such
as anger, inadequacy, jealousy, or the need to control the situation.
Group members may have offenders draw the chain of events that
lead to the abusive behaviors. Although a batterer may feel angry
or upset, he must still take personal responsibility for his actions.
His use of violence or other forms of abuse is a personal choice.
Learning
Alternatives to Abusive Behaviors
Batterers’ treatment groups often teach offenders to recognize
when they are acting abusively. If necessary, the batterers should
temporarily withdraw from a situation of conflict. They should
call a hotline or to talk to someone who will support them in
not using violence. When the batterer can react in a non-abusive
manner, he should return to discuss the problem without using
violence or other forms of abuse. As the treatment group continues,
batterers should better understand their abusive behavior and
develop alternative skills and methods of interacting with their
partner that do not involve violence.
Assessment and
Outcomes
Although the goal of the batterers’ treatment group is
to stop the perpetrators’ abusive behaviors, it is not always
successful. Advocates must be realistic about the outcomes to
expect from batterers’ treatment groups. Some men who complete
the group do change their behavior. When a batterer makes the
commitment to change his actions it is important for him to address
a few key issues: